Chapter 3

If Keith had been able to craft a satisfactory answer to Kim's question, he might not have been crazy enough to go on this trip in the first place. As it was, he was reduced to what amounted to incoherent fits and starts about why he was here. He started to tell that he really was only here because he had imagined rescuing her, decided that sounded kind of creepy, and then opted for half the truth. "I'm actually kinda here by mistake, Kim," he said. "When I first ... eh ... came here, I didn't know what happened, exactly. This time, I was a little more ready, but I didn't think I would ... um ... that is, I thought I'd be able to get back just as quickly as I did before."

"But where did you come from?"

"This is going to sound a little crazy, Kim," Keith said hesitantly. "But I come from a very ... uh ... different place. Another country. Not even another country. Another ... world, I guess you'd say. That's what happened. I swear. I was in my backwayrd, it was night, there was a flash of light and I was suddenly here."

She considered this without the least sign of disbelief. "There's stories about them that Herch works for," she said at least. "They say it's one man who's behind all this trouble, and they say he come and go real sudden, like you spoke of. They say he's the one behind the takin' of the greenstone."

"Really?" Keith was hopeful for the first time since leaving the forest clearing. "Someone else from my world ... er ... someone else who came here as I did?"

"That's one story. But..." here she looked grim. "They also say he's not one to do a kindness to anyone. It's at his word that Herch come around, taking our pretties."

"What do you mean, your pretties?"

"The greenstone from the hills. And some trapiche. Rare enough to find trapiche even where there's greenstone, mind you. And not that greenstone's shabby, itself. But trapiche is special. My pa worked them hills for greenstone 'fore he died, and he made sure we knew the difference." She paused. "Didn't help us none. Herch come 'round, an seen we had the best greenstone o' the village. It just firmed his mind up that he'd scheme to take it from us."

She sighed. "It ain't right. Used to be, we could sell 'em for a fair bit. Now that man, the Outlander, comes payin' high prices, and so Herch commenced to run off anyone else that would buy 'em from us. Now he done that and there's none left but Herch that will dare pay coin for greenstone, and he don't pay near what they's true worth. I was bound o'er the hills when you first seen me, because we heard tell that in the next hollow past the forest, you might still find a fair price. We got one trapiche, an' I had it with me." She sighed. "If only it was two matched..."

Keith shook his head, trying to categorize and understand everything he was hearing. "Wait — what do you mean, matched?"

"Two in a matched pair of trapiche would be ... well, it'd be enough coin to buy enough land for a man to walk in a day. A good, single unmatched greenstone will go for some considerable coin, yes." she said. "But trapiche got to match, two for two. Everyone who buys trapiche wants a matched pair. Bad luck to have just one. Ain't no holes in the world."

Keith goggled at her. "Holes in the world?"

She smiled. "You know, from the story."

Keith looked blankly at her.

"You know, the kid story. The King who had a pair of beautiful matched trapiche, pure and green. He gives 'em to his daughter, and she goes and gives one up, to save her ain true love, but there's another girl that wants him too, she betrays the pair and tricks 'im and the two stones is taken far apart, and a hole opens up in the world and swallers them..." she paused, as if hearing the words for the first time. " ... and swallers them gone."

After a moment in which Keith didn't dare add anything, she finished, "So it's just a sayin'. A legend, like. When you got two that match, you're supposed to keep 'em close, cause you can't have no holes in the world." She considered. "It don't actually mean nothin' real." Another pause, and a considerably less certain tone of voice. "Does it?"

Keith swallowed. "I ... maybe it does, actually." He thought for a moment. "Although probably not. You said you just have the one ... uh ... trapiche, now?"

She nodded. "But it don't match nothin'."

"I don't see how it fits, then. The story talks about two matched ones being taken apart?"

She nodded again, her browed furrowed.

Keith returned her shrug. "I don't see how that would help, then," he said. "Jesus! This is so crazy. I can't believe I'm standing here talking about greenstones and ... wait a sec."

"What?"

"When I first came through. You were carrying that ... trapiche? ... with you?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "I was takin' it to sell at..."

"And today?"

"Today I came back home. Couldn't get nothing close to fair price there, neither, 'cause Herch run them out as well."

"You went the same route?"

She stared at him. "Sure. There ain't but the one trail."

Keith took a deep breath. "And what time was it when you passed the clearing, the place when you saw me before?"

She frowned. "'Bout four, five hours, give or take a bit, I guess. What's this all mean?"

Keith closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to be calm. "Maybe nothing. Maybe a crazy coincidence. But -- I think that it's possible what made it so I could go from my world to here was you carrying that ... trapiche thing and being at that spot in the forest. I think that kid's story you were talking about, about holes in the world, I think it's true. Or kind of true. Anyway, I'd really like to try it."

"You mean to say ... you're going to leave?"

Keith looked surprised. "Well ... yeah."

Kim turned away. "Oh," she said.

"What? What's wrong?"

"This ain't the way of it!" she spit out, turning to face him. "I thought you come to help us!" There were tears running down her cheeks, he saw uneasily. "Didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but not ... I mean, I didn't think I'd..." He sighed. "I can't really help you. What can I do? I don't know how to do anything to help you, Kim. I'm sorry."

"You can run Herch off!" she said fiercely. "You can ... can help boost the pretties he took from us back! Something! I mean..." her voice faltered... "we ain't got no other help. And you came just when I prayed for help. Don't that mean you're here to help us?"

Keith swallowed. He remembered, shamefully, his little fantasies about just appearing here and heroically solving problems for the mysterious girl. Now he was here, and all of that hero stuff had paled beside his worry about getting home, not being lost here forever where his family could never even find him, and, oh yeah, not getting his ass handed to him by some crazy lunatic.

What was I thinking? I was thinking I could help, damnit. But now that it's real — can I? I'm just a kid.

He looked at Kim, who was staring at him with naked hope in her eyes. She is really beautiful, came the unbidden thought. And for a young man that prided himself on knowing the solid facts, he knew that what he was about to do was absolutely stupid and irresponsible. But seeing her look at him, he had imagined ending up back home having done nothing here except slinking away like a coward, and that thought had burned fresh shame into his cheeks. He wanted her to ... to like him. To admire him.

"You're right," he said aloud. "I am. And ... I will. Help you, I mean. If I — if I can."

She smiled at him, tentatively at first, and then a beam of joy that made Keith's heart jump.

"I knew it!" she said. "God tends His own loom, He surely does."

"Yeah, he's ... he's great ... with the ... the loom-tending, and all," Keith replied. "OK, so let's figure this out. I have to know everything. What exactly would help you the most? Getting your stuff back? How does this Herch guy work, exactly? Where does he keep the stones he's gotten from you?"

She frowned. "No one of us is privy to that, or its fair certain we'd already have back what's ours, whenever he first chanced to leave. He has a room in town, an' he ... he's known for goin' ... I mean, visiting..." she blushed hotly here " ... well, there's a house near, a house ... of ladies. You know?"

"A lady's house?" Keith asked.

"No. Um ... I mean to say ... fancy ladies. A bawdy place?" She looked away, evidently embarrassed to discuss such frank matters with Keith. "He's known for supporting their trade, and it's fair certain he's not carrying those pretties then. He did, then like as not he'd wake up after ... you know ... to find himself considerable poorer." She paused, flushing again. "Now, you may hear some talk, so let me just say what's the truth. My ma does work in that house, yes. But her work is the cooking for the girls, and boiling laundry, and some healin' when one of em' gets sick. I know it ain't the most respectable place to be, but work is scarce and she's alone since my pa died, except for me. And," she said fiercely, staring at Keith, "There ain't nothin' she does in there that'd offend the meanest curate with the tightest heddles." She paused, and then continued in a smaller voice, "It'd be a kindness if we didn't speak of it past this."

"Yeah, sure. No problem," Keith said. "But getting back to this room of his..."

"It's certain he hides his take there, but it's beyond our reach."

"Why?"

She looked grim. "He plants traps. A boy, Colin, not two years older'n me, went in there once after Herch had dealt with his family. He aimed to get back what Herch had made 'em sell. First drawer he opened, he said sprung something that covered him in some sort of powder. He took off running and come back here and told us all what'd happened." She swallowed hard. "An hour later he was dead. He started havin' trouble breathin', an' by the time his ma got back with the doc, he was gone. Doc said it was poison."

Keith nodded slowly. A part of him reflected on the fact that this Colin was right about his age, most likely, and he quickly shut down that line of thought.

"OK. Poison in the face if we sneak in his room and go opening stuff up to search. Got it." He considered. "How about this buying and selling thing? How does that work?"